One man has been taken into custody after an hours-long police incident in Victoria’s Oakland neighbourhood today.
At around 4 p.m. this afternoon, police responded to an animal call in the 1300-block of Hillside Avenue.
Witnesses told police they saw a man abusing a small dog, which was found dead when officers arrived.
Animal Control was also called to the scene.
Patrol officers are responding to an ongoing incident in the 1300-block of Hillside Ave. There's no immediate danger to the public. We are working to resolve the incident peacefully. Please avoid the area as roads are closed. #yyjtraffic will be affected. #yyj
— Victoria Police (@vicpdcanada) January 21, 2020
The suspect, described as a man in his 30s, had fled the scene into a unit in a multi-unit residential building and barricaded himself there.
The man refused to leave the suite and the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team, including a Crisis Negotiator, were deployed. Residents of neighbouring suites were evacuated out of an abundance of caution, according to police.
The suspect remained uncooperative and just before 7 p.m., he exited the unit but failed to comply with officers’ directions.
According to VicPD media spokesperson Bowen Osoko, the suspect was eventually shot with an ARWEN which is a police weapon that fires non-lethal 37mm rounds.
The suspect was taken into custody and transported to hospital with non-life threatening injuries, which is a standard procedure for anyone who has been shot with an ARWEN.
Police are in the early stages of their investigation into this incident and are expected to release updates in the coming days.
The suspect is expected to undergo a mental health evaluation. Police will treat this incident as a criminal case until otherwise proven.
Osoko also warns the public about posts and threats on social media which may exacerbate the spread of misinformation.
A horrific scene and incident that started with injuries to a dog who succumbed to injuries. So sad. Shout out to @vicpdcanada officers and the GV Emergency Response Team who responded as male barricaded himself. Proud of our response and composure of officers. #proudchief https://t.co/chTmFhNjqh
— Del Manak (@ChiefManak) January 21, 2020
